Weaving the Tapestry
by Charlotte Donahue
Summary: Every person, especially those you are close to, help to shape the person you become every person is a thread in your tapestry of life. They are all different colours. Some tapestries get knotted too early...others last too long. JL read
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to JKR. Rebecca Saunders, Cassidy Delaney, and Declan Callaghan are ficticious characters that belong to Charlotte Donahue. Thank you. **

Please enjoy!

_Weaving the Tapestry  
by Charlotte Donahue  
2007_

* * *

Weaving the Tapestry 

**Chapter 1 **

Main Entry: **1 weave**

**1 a** to form (cloth) by interlacing strands (as of yarn); _specifically_ to make (cloth) on a loom by interlacing warp and filling threads **b** to interlace (as threads) into cloth

* * *

_It has been said that every person you meet makes an impression on you. It could be positive or negative, strong or weak, but there is one none-the-less. They could be a stranger, family, friend, or enemy, and they will leave a fragment of themselves within you. _

_Every person, especially those you are close to, help to shape the person you become; every person is a thread in your tapestry of life. They are all different colours; some might be a shade of red, others of green; some might be light lavender, and another might be yellow. _

_Your tapestry begins when you are an infant and is only completed the day you die. The day you die is the day people stop influencing you--though you may continue to influence others. Therefore, your colour of thread may be woven into their tapestry, but your own tapestry will be tied and tasseled. _

_I am old now, wiser than I could have ever believed. And I am sad. Old and sad. My tapestry is not completed—no, not yet. But the reason I am sad is because my friends' tapestries were knotted so many years ago; their looms ceased to move. _

_I am not finished, however; I am not done. I need to help others see the truth. They plod on in their lives, taking their secure future for granted, and don't even bother to think of those that gave their lives for freedom. The select few that do remember the extreme that some went to are few in numbers, and they are dwindling fast because they are all getting old. They are sons and daughters of those that fought and died, of those who were tortured and beaten. And they too are dying slowly. _

_But I am strong. I see the goal, the final act of service I must do for my friends and family before I die. And I will do it. I will do it for my parents, my brothers; I will do it for Lily and for James; I will stand tall for Sirius and laugh for Remus; I will smile for Cassidy and cry for Peter. I must, for I am all that is left. _

_I am Rebecca Mabyn Saunders, and I am the last. _

* * *

Declan Callaghan apparated outside of the cottage. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. To his left was a road that disappeared around the bend, into a forest of trees. To his right was a field, which, upon closer look, seemed to be an overgrown garden of some sort. There were wild flowers growing this way and that, and random tomato plants climbing their way up a rotten wood fence. In front of him was a gate that had a rusty latch holding it shut; the gate opened to a grey, cobblestone path that led up to a house. The house appeared small, but Callaghan assumed it would be larger on the inside; such was the effect of mirage. It had a wraparound porch that hugged the stone walls dearly, and the windows had quaint shutters that were painted light cornflower blue. There was a trellis attached to the porch, and small purple morning glories were just beginning to close. 

Callaghan took all this in as he slowly walked up to the gate. He clutched is camera bag closely, and mentally counted in his head all the items he had brought to help him in this endeavor. Unlatching the old white gate, he stepped through, ignoring the creaking sound it made from rust. He walked up the stone path and onto the porch. He was about to knock on the front door when he heard a movement. Startled, he turned to his right.

She was old, quite old; her white hair was drawn back into a low bun but was surprisingly well kept. Her face was wrinkled, brown, and spotted with age. Her hands, which were clutching a knitted afghan, were gnarled and bony, and she was hunched over in a rocking chair. It was her eyes, however, that startled him the most. They were bright, bright blue, and so clear and honest he took a step closer. While the rest of her body looked ancient, these eyes looked like a child's, bright and full of hope. They were young.

Callaghan cleared his throat. "Mrs. Saunders?"

The woman simply looked at him.

"You are Mrs. Saunders, right?"

Slowly the woman shifted. "No," she said softly. "I'm not. Mrs. Saunders was my mother. I am Miss, or Ms. Saunders."

Callaghan was relieved. He had come to the right place.

Then she spoke again.

"You must be Declan Callaghan, the youngster they sent to interview me."

He nodded, though somewhat miffed about being called a 'youngster'. "Yes, I'm Callaghan. The paper sent me to ask you about how it was…then…and what happened. I mean, it must have been exciting, all that fighting and battling going on, all the spying and problem solving." He got caught up in himself and abruptly stopped.

She regarded him quietly. Her cornflower eyes probed him, searching for something. When she found it, she blinked slowly and then began to talk.

"Yes. You're here to talk to me about the Wars. Before I start, however, I want you to tell me what you know, what you think happened those seventy years ago."

Callaghan complied. "The first War began in 1976, in England—more specifically, in London. The Ministry of Magic was attacked by those who called themselves Death Eaters, who were followers of You-Know-Who. Three prominent ministry figures were killed in that attack, and after that, the Ministry was on its guard. The War continued, but now the people began to fight back. There were many incredible, fearsome battles, each greater than the last. Finally, on October 31st, 1981, Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who at the age of one. It made headlines in magical communities across the world. However, thirteen years later, You-Know-Who came back and terrorized the magical people once more. More battles raged on, more deaths occurred. Then, Harry Potter once again defeated You-Know-Who, but later died from his own battle injuries." Callaghan paused for breath, having said this history very fast. "I think it must have been brilliant, to be out there fighting. It would have been exhilarating, fast, and exciting. I would give anything to do it, to go back in time." He finally glanced up at Ms. Saunders. Her eyes were closed, as if in pain, and her face was scrunched.

"Ms. Saunders?" Callaghan said, worried. "Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes, and the ghosts that had been lurking there fled.

"You would give anything," she said, repeating his words. "Would you give your life?"  
Her words hung there in the morning air between them, like a physical block. For some reason, Callaghan felt something in his heart, but he pushed it away, refusing to acknowledge it as foolishness.

"You talk about brilliance, you talk about exhilarating feelings; you mentioned excitement. But let me tell you something." Her voice sounded defeated. "What is brilliant about burying your five closest friends? What is exhilarating about watching all you love fall dead around you? What is exciting about facing death more than three times and surviving and yet those who you fought beside are now buried six feet under the ground? Nothing."

"I—"

She held up her hand. "Ah—not yet. Your turn to speak will come. Did you or did you not wish to talk to me?"

He fell silent.

"You know something? You mentioned October 31st, 1981, and Harry Potter. You know he defeated Voldemort—yes—Voldemort, not You-Know-Who, but do you know how? For that part is scarcely told." She watched him for any signs of knowledge. He shook his head. "That was the day I lost four friends. For me, it's not a day of rejoicing, but a day of weeping. Four friends." Her voice became harsh. "Two died, one became traitor, and the other was thrown into Azkaban."

Callaghan felt his heart go out to Ms. Saunders.

"The two friends who died that day deserved to live. They had done so much, yet lived so little. They were only twenty-one when they died, only twenty-one. Do you even know who they were?"

He shook his head, feeling naïve and insignificant.

"Their names were Lily and James. And because of their sacrifice, you have a safe life to live." She chuckled humorlessly at his confused look. "Potter. They were the Potters. And James died for Lily and Harry, and Lily died for Harry. Because of her love, Harry won. And paid dearly for it."

"They're never mentioned…" he trailed off softly.

"No," she agreed, pulling her afghan closer around her. "They're not."

"But how do you know them?"

She smiled, not seeing him, but someone behind him; someone who, when he turned to look, lived only in the memories of an old woman.

"Lily was my best friend. James I was close to. _Accio_ Hogwarts and Alumni Albums."

Four photo albums came soaring through an open window on the first floor of the house, towards her. She pointed her wand, which she had drawn from the folds of the old blanket at the ground, and they landed with a thump in between herself and Callaghan. She motioned for him to take the burgundy one, which had gold lettering on the front which read '1979'.

"Open it," she commanded softly.

He gently turned the thick cover to the first yellowed page. On that page was one photograph. In it were seven young people, about eighteen, all wearing the Hogwarts Graduation robes. The robes all had red and gold sashes, labeling them as Gryffindors.

Ms. Saunders motioned for him to move closer to her, so he shifted himself so that he was sitting on the porch railing next to her.

She pointed to the people in the picture.

"This one here is Remus Lupin. He was a werewolf, prefect, and loving best friend. He was also a Marauder."

He was on the end, with sandy brown hair and big brown eyes. He was smiling sadly, as if he carried a weight on his shoulders that no one else could help with.

"Werewolf? Marauder?" Callaghan questioned.

"Yes," Ms. Saunders said. "And he was the only one that lived to be old with me. He passed away ten years ago. You'll hear more about the Marauders later. All the boys in the photograph are one.

"This here is Cassidy Delaney, Quidditch freak and the cleverest person I'll ever know." The girl waved back at them, dimples appearing when she smiled. Her curly brown hair was blowing all over the place, and her dark brown eyes were twinkling. "She died first, out of all of those in the picture.

"Then there's James Potter, who was the father of Harry Potter and an amazing auror. He also loved Quidditch, and was amazing at it. He was also Head Boy in '79." James grinned at the camera, occasionally reaching up to ruffle his black hair. His arm was around a pretty red headed girl, who was laughing at something the boy on her other side had said.

"That's Lily Evans, who became Lily Potter," she said, motioning to the red head. "She was Head Girl, and incredibly adept at Charms. She was also respected by all, excluding a few Slytherins. Amazingly smart girl." Lily's green eyes were dancing at the black-haired boy next to her.

"And that is…?" Callaghan pointed to the boy who made Lily laugh.

Ms. Saunders smiled sadly. "That would be Sirius Black, the man who was imprisoned wrongly for the Potters' death. He was Harry Potter's godfather, and the Hogwarts Casanova if there ever was. He and Lily were like brother and sister, and he and James were literally brothers. He grew up at James' parent's house.

"Next to Peter Pettigrew, the traitor of the bunch. He betrayed Lily, James, and Harry, and left Sirius to take the blame. He was their secret keeper," she said to his questioning look.

"And who's that?" Callaghan asked, looking at the vibrant black haired girl stretched at her friend's feet on the ground. Her eyes were laughing at the camera, and she was holding her sides as if she was about to fall apart from giggling. The cornflower blue eyes stared back at him, and he jumped.

"That would be me," Ms. Saunders said, regarding her pictured self with a half smile on her lips. "Now, you wanted me to tell you about the Wars. I will do that, but I will delve deeper into the lives behind the Wars."

He nodded. "That will be fine." He got out his quill, paper, and ink bottle. "Whenever you're ready."

She smiled, her eyes seeing something far away. "Well, Declan—for I will not call you Mr. Callaghan...you're too young--, I will begin back in 1978. Back then, I was not Ms. Saunders. I was seventeen and ready to live life to the fullest."

She looked back at the photograph, specifically at the black haired girl on the bottom. He looked too.

"Back then…I was Rebecca."

* * *

**Author's Note: Chapter One is up! Let me know what you all think, and I will continue. Please…**

**R  
E  
V  
I  
E  
W**

**Cheers, **

**Charlotte Donahue**


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimer applies.

Cheers.

--

* * *

Weaving the Tapestry 

**Chapter 2**

**Hogwarts 1978**

The red-headed head girl tore from around the corridor corner, startling four boys who were bent over a piece of old parchment. She was breathing heavily, her face was flushed, and her long hair was falling out from its loose ponytail. She bent over, leaning on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The boys gaped at her; she helplessly smiled back.

"LILY!!!" A voice yelled from around the corner. The sound reverberated on the stone walls.

The girl in question straightened up quite fast and darted towards the four boys. She quickly pushed and prodded them until they formed some sort of line in front of her, and then ducked behind them, hiding.

"Wha—" One of them started to ask. His hazel eyes peered back over his own shoulder. She made a shushing motion and raised her finger to her lips.

Another girl whipped around the corner, her cornflower blue eyes flashing. Her hair was tangled, but hanging straight down her back. Her Gryffindor uniform was ruffled and mussed, and her tie was hanging loose around her neck. She looked normal—except that her hair was bright blonde and she looked thoroughly snogged.

"Wow, Becs, you're looking quite…err…blonde today!" Remus Lupin said, his brown eyes laughing at her.

"Shut it, Lupin," Rebecca growled. "LILY! I know you're there! I can see your red hair!" She pointed a furious finger at Sirius Black.

"Me?" Sirius said, shocked but smirking. "Last I checked, my name was Sirius, not Lily."

She turned to him, snarling. For some reason, however, she stayed a good fifteen feet away from him and the other three. "Not you, Black, the red twit hiding behind you!"

Yet another girl came around the corner; this time, however, she wasn't breathing hard from running—she was breathing hard from laughing. Her eyes were watering with tears, and endless giggles were pouring from her open mouth.

"What's going on?" Peter Pettigrew asked, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion. "What did Lily do, Becca? I mean, other than turn your hair a lovely blonde?"

But Rebecca was ignoring him. She had now switched her angry stare to the curly brunette who was crying tears of laughter. "Cassidy Delaney!!" She yelled. "Is it really that funny!? NO! It's downright humiliating and disgusting!"

"Hello? You lot? Anyone care to clue us in?" Sirius asked, looking back and forth between Cassidy and Rebecca, and then behind him to Lily. Lily just smiled innocently up at him, and Rebecca let out a low growl.

Suddenly, Cassidy pushed Rebecca towards the others. She got a good three feet before Rebecca started fighting back.

"NO!" She hollered. "Don't push me closer!"

"But Becs, I thought you wanted to get Lily!" James stated, puzzled but snickering.

"Oh, I do…I just—"

"Just what?"

"Oh…err…never mind." Rebecca blushed.

By now, Cassidy could breathe enough to answer. "Lily, the evil love here, place a curse—or charm, I suppose—on dear Rebecca here. She can't come near you lot without suffering the consequences."

"Yes, we can see her blondeness very clearly here. Quite different from the black," Peter said dryly.

Cassidy waved her hand, dismissing the notion. "Oh no…that was me, not Lily." She then laughed nervously as Rebecca flipped on her, glaring. "Oops…I guess you'd forgotten that. Anyway, Lily played a better prank on her. The hair colour thing is well, old and boring now. Lily placed the _Postulo basio_ curse on her."

At the boys' blank looks she sighed, the traces of laughter still very evident. "_Postulo basio,_ when translated literally, means _need to kiss_. You wonder why she looks so thoroughly snogged?" Cassidy grinned, her eyes twinkling.

Sirius barked his laughter. "You mean you've been kissing a whole load of blokes?"

Rebecca growled again.

"So," James said, slowly understanding it. "You have a need to kiss blokes? Any certain ones?"

"Nope!" Lily piped up from her hiding spot. They all pivoted to look at her. "No certain ones. ALL of them." She grinned. "Whenever she comes within ten feet of a boy, she feels this magnetic urge that automatically makes her snog him. She doesn't have a choice. She must snog him for at least eight seconds, and then she is free to run away."

"That's why you're staying so far away from us!" Remus snickered. "Why…do you think we'd be bad kissers?" He mock glared at her.

Rebecca kept growling.

"…or not!" he said, nervously backing away.

"So Lillers, dear, when does this charm wear off?" Sirius asked, interested. "Very brilliant, by the way."

"Thanks. Within twenty-four hours—and Sirius, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Lillers? It's Lily," Lily stressed, looking irked.

"At least one more time, Lillers."

* * *

--

**Saunders' Farm, 2051**

The monarch butterfly darted in and out of the lilac bushes. It paused, resting on a brilliant purple bud, and basked in the sun. Callaghan watched it pensively, then turned back to the old woman who had just sounded young.

"That's quite a funny charm," he said finally.

She stared at him, her eyes staying quite still. "Yes, it was quite the charm. Unfortunately, I was too annoyed to admire it. I had just snogged at least fifteen blokes within two hours, and was not too pleased with Lily," she said wryly. "Now, however, I would give anything to have Lily place that charm on me again."

Callaghan made a few more notes in his notebook. "They sound like a great group of friends."

"Yes, they were," Ms. Saunders replied, gazing out across her garden. "That was when we could laugh. Then we became adults, surely but quickly."

She watched the monarch butterfly get attacked by a crow. Her eyes took on shadows again. And then she began to speak.

* * *

**Hogwarts 1979**

It was June. June 1979, and they were graduating. They had just competed seven long, grueling, and absolutely thrilling years of magic school, and were about to step out into the real world.

Cassidy straightened up from her position of lying on the floor. "Nothing under the beds!" she called to Rebecca, who was checking the bathroom.

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked, coming out of the lav carrying several make-up items and a bottle of Sleakeazy's Straightening Shampoo.

"Yes! Nothing under there but Lily!" Cassidy replied cheerfully, standing up and dusting herself off.

Rebecca dropped her armful of toiletries. "Lily?" she called, dropping to her knees and peering under the closest bed. "Lily? What are you doing under there?"

"I don't want to leave!" Came the pitiful reply. "We won't ever come back!"

"I know, Lily love, but it's our time to go! We need to start being mature adults!" Rebecca reached under the bed and dragged her best friend out. Lily's hair was tousled, and her face was tear-stained.

"C'mon, love. Chin up," Cassidy said, giving Lily a hug. "Say your goodbyes to this room, and then let's go get the guys."

Lily looked around the room, letting out a sigh. Right before she followed her friends out, she walked over to their window and gazed out across the grounds of Hogwarts. The lake was there, with the sun reflecting off of it; the grass was in need of a trim, and the gamekeeper's cottage was puffing smoke. It all looked the same. It didn't look as if everything was changing.

She turned her back on her view of the world she loved and walked out of it.

The girls leviated their trunks down to the common room, and then turned and walked up the boy's staircase. Cassidy knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer. The sight that greeted the three girls was odd.

"Oh, hullo ladies," Peter said, peering up at the girls from his position.

"Hey Pete," Rebecca said, staring.

" 'Lo, girls," James said, his voice muffled.

Cassidy asked the question they had all wanted to ask. "What _are _you doing?"

Sirius's head appeared over the side of the bed. "Seeing the message we wrote in first year, and the one in second, and the one in third, and the one in fourth, and the one in—"

"'kay, Sir, we get it," Lily said, snickering. The boys were all lying horizontally across James' bed, their heads hanging off one end, reading their messages that were written on the wall upside down.

"Come read," Remus said. "It really is quite interesting to see what we wrote when we were eleven."

_1973 – We hereby swear by our lives that we will never be interested in girls for as long as we live. They are annoying, talk to much, and think they are smarter than boys. Signed, James P., Sirius B., Peter P., and Remus L. _

_1974– From now on, we will only call Professor McGonagall 'Minnie'. It is so amusing when steam comes out of her ears and her mouth disappears in a frown._

_Signed, James P., Sirius B., Peter P. and Remus L. _

_1975 – We have decided that if we all agree, our law decreed when we were measly 11-year olds is now abolished. __Some__ girls are okay, and it is fine if we think they look pretty and are smart. After all, we are now thirteen. _

_Signed, James P., Sirius B., Peter P., and Remus L. _

_1976 – We have found out Remus' secret, and will hereby swear on our lives (again) that we will never tell a living soul. Dead ones are okay though. And we promise to find a way to help him through his tough times. Also, this is the year the James discovered Lily. Let this be the year of new knowledge. _

_Signed, James P., Sirius B., Peter P., and Remus L. _

_1977 – We have developed a method to help Remus! We are now also called new names. James was refused for the first time by Lily. This is the year of rejection (x 37). _

_Signed, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs—the Marauders. _

_1978– Sixteen! One more year till we are adults! Minnie still loves us, James still loves Lily, Lily still hates James. Life's just one big circle. May pranks still rule the school, and may Minnie finally accept us for who we are: the best. _

_Signed, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs—the Marauders. _

_1979 – We're done. We've graduated. We're packing now. We've yet to play our last prank. We're adults. Good luck to those new seventh years. Good luck to those new first years who will receive this room. May our wisdom soak into your pores; may you be the next generation of pranksters. Remember to call Prof McGonagall 'Minnie', and that Peeves will be your biggest ally. We're onto the real life; we're free. Good luck._

_Signed, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs –the Marauders. _

_PS – Lily loves James now. _

The girls read the inscriptions in silence. Then Cassidy spoke.

"You swore off girls?" she asked incredulously. "On your lives?!".

Sirius looked sheepish. "Yes, well, we were eleven. We didn't know better."

"Obviously not," Rebecca smirked, twirling her hair around her finger.

They turned to see what Lily would say, but she was too busy kissing James. Yes, Lily did love James now.

* * *

Outside, they finished saying their farewells to the teachers and younger students. As they stood in the line for the coaches, Cassidy turned to Remus.

"You haven't played your end of the year prank yet!" she noticed. "When are you going to do it?"

Remus grinned. "Don't worry. It's coming."

"Ha! Look at Snape!" came a cry from the crowd. The heads simultaneously turned to see the student. He was levitating ten feet above the ground, and was covered in soap bubbles. He was also spitting with anger.

Lily watched Snape for a second.

"Isn't that what you did to him in first year?" she asked, puzzled.

Peter laughed. "You bet! We thought that because this is our last prank ever, we should redo some of our original ones--no matter how bad they may be--for old time's sake."

"Brilliant," Rebecca beamed.

"They're not going to be the most exciting pranks, but there is a message from us at the end," James added, slipping his arm around Lily.

"I did add a special something for dear old Minnie," Sirius said, chuckling. "It should happen just about….NOW!"

Professor McGonagall was glowing pink, with little cupids flying around her head and a large heart floating above her head. Inside the heart, red cloud letters floated, reading 'To my lovely Minnie; may you always wear that beautiful smile and your hair up in that tight bun; may you never love another student more than me. All my love, Sirius Black'.

For once, Professor McGonagall didn't yell. She didn't frown, nor angrily assign a detention. For once, she gave a small smile, and if you looked really closely you might have seen a tear slip down one cheek.

Several small pranks later, the Marauders looked at each other, communicated silently, and concurrently raised their wands in the air.

"On three," Sirius said. "One….two….three!"

Four bright streams of light shot into the air, and mixed, twisted and turned until a message had formed.

'Farewell, dear Hogwarts, it's been good

Seven long years it's been;

We've learned so much and loved so much

And now there's much more to be seen.

We'll miss the Quidditch which we played

And the laughter we shared with you all;

We'll miss and remember the wonderful days

When Marauder's were kings of the halls.

We ask you do one last thing for us

As we leave our old lives behind;

We ask you 'continue the pranks' that we did

Match us in brilliance and mind.

Remember us then, the four of us boys

Who are about to become the adults;

Padfoot and Wormtail, Moony and Prongs;

Have grown up and this is the result.

It's time for the real world, so farewell and goodbye,

We bid adieu to the past;

Life's one big circle now turning in time

And it all flies way too fast.

With this all said, and time running out,

Here's our last phrase to say;

Good luck with your lives, remember us four,

Goodbye, goodbye on this day.

Mischief Managed.'

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. This story will be continued **_**s l o w l y**_**. Bear that in mind if you continue reading it. **

**Please review.**

**Cheers.**

**Charlotte Donahue. **


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